Gunman sentenced to 20 years for fatal Reynoldsburg shooting

Friday

Apr 13, 2018 at 1:22 PMApr 13, 2018 at 4:15 PM

A 26-year-old man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday after pleading guilty to a fatal shooting outside a Reynoldsburg apartment complex.

Lance E. Ford, formerly of the Far East Side, rode a bicycle to the complex in the 1700 block of Century City West, off Brice Road, on Sept. 4, 2016, and fired one shot into the head of Santonio Carpenter, Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Bryan Potter said.

Carpenter, 34, died at the scene.

Reynoldsburg police found the bicycle, which contained Carpenter's blood, on the back porch of a home where Ford's girlfriend lived. The 9mm handgun used in the crime was not recovered.

Ford confessed to the crime during a three-hour interview with a Reynoldsburg police detective in November 2016. His defense attorney, Jeremy Wright, tried unsuccessfully to get the confession suppressed.

Ford pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter with a gun specification, tampering with evidence and having a weapon despite a previous felony conviction.

The sentence, imposed by Common Pleas Judge Kim Brown, was recommended by prosecuting and defense attorneys as part of the plea agreement.

Ford declined to make a statement during the hearing.

jfutty@dispatch.com

@johnfutty

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